Closet Monster 96: What's Inside Trixie's Closet?

What year is it?? Well, the clue's in the band name. Closet Monster released their only album way back in 1996, What's Inside Trixie's Closet attracting some rave reviews and even a few awards. But check that year again... 1996??? …shiver… by the mid-nineties the rock scene was right in the middle of its grunge inspired cold winter. If you weren't dowdy, you weren't anywhere and sporting a classic rock sound that took inspiration from Ozzy Osbourne and a little slice of Dokken, South Dakota's Closet Monster were far too exciting to pass the boredom test. The band split around 2001 but it says much of the talent they possessed that their number have gone on to perform with Ron Keel, Powerplay and amongst others, Guilty Pleasures.

With the album long being a favourite of those groove-masters at Grooveyard Records, a plot was hatched to give the album new life and not only – much to the surprise of the band – has Trixie's Closet been plundered once more, its contents have been expertly remastered in the process. So much so that there's not a whiff of the two-plus decades that have passed between this album's first outing and this lovingly restored reissue. With Jon Koopman's vocals brimming with the warm tones of the Ozzmeister and the guitars from Mike Dresch and Mike Pennock hitting with the force of Zakk Wylde while still revealing the subtlety of Randy Rhoads there's no denying that the likes of opener "The Way It Has To Be" or mid-paced stomper "Low" lean heavily on a sound first brought to life on albums like No More Tears or Blizzard Of Ozz. The smooth but forceful keyboards from Koopman add further fuel to that fire, and yet with the guitar pairing adding a more overtly bluesy edge to the likes of "Every Roll Will Rock" or "Box Of Clues", while also providing some killer lead lines right across the album, Closet Monster were no simple scene chasers or homage payers.

Where things don't quite click is through a few lyrical choices that don't quite hold the same fire as the music they accompany, "Wait For No One" not talking about the sands of time running low or how easy it is to get left behind in this ever changing world, instead decrying those annoying people who always turn up late. Something that's all the more disappointing when you experience the gargantuan slap of guitars and fiery fret squeals that attempt to hammer this lame tale home. That extremely minor gripe aside Closet Monster 96 are undoubtedly one of the best bands from the nineties that you've never heard of. So let's blow Trixie's Closet wide open and revel in what is a seriously sumptuous slice of hard rocking goodness that deserves this second chance.

Track Listing
1. THE WAY IT HAS TO BE

2. RUNNING BLIND

3. LOST

4. TIME WILL TELL ITS TALE

5. NO TIME

6. EVERY ROLL WILL ROCK

7. LOW

8. WAIT FOR NO ONE

9. SOMEDAY

10. BOX OF CLUES

11. RAM IT

Added: January 28th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Closet Monster 96 at The Grooveyard
Hits: 2050
Language: english

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